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Osaze
Asked: 2017-10-13 05:34:15 +0800 CST

how to register zotero:// protocol on ubuntu 16.04

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PROBLEM: My workflow involves consulting notes stored in Zotero 5.0.22 while writing in other software (Scrivener, LibreOffice Writer). On Windows 10, I am able to access these notes from those other software by creating hyperlinks to them using their zotero://select item ID: I click on the hyperlink in, say LibreOffice Writer, and Zotero opens and selects the note item in my library. However, I cannot get these hyperlinks to work under Ubuntu 16.04: clicking on them--whether in Scrivener or LibreOffice Writer--produces absolutely no result.

REQUEST: A search through forums and posts on the web suggests that the problem is possibly due to Ubuntu not recognising the zotero:// protocol and therefore not knowing what to do when I click on the hyperlinks. Is this correct? If so, how do I solve the problem? Various posts say I have to register the protocol with the operating system. I have no knowledge of programming, and the how-to's I found were too complicated for me. If non-recognition of the protocol is not the problem, then what is it? I would appreciate any help on this problem, if possible a simple how-to that does not involve complex code-writing.

APPRECIATION: To the great people behind Ubuntu, thank you so much for the marvelous operating system; and to the Ubuntu community, thanks for the great work addressing problems faced by programming-incompetents like me.

Thank you for your help.

protocol

3 Answers

  1. Running into the same issue on Ubuntu 18.04, I just wanted to post the solution that worked for me.

    The zotero.desktop file that is installed with the current version of Zotero is correct. The only thing that is missing is the entry in the mimeapps.list. Thus, all you have to do is follow the final bit of @pim's answer:

    Then edit the file ~/.config/mimeapps.list, section [Default Applications], adding this line :

    x-scheme-handler/zotero=zotero.desktop

    Now you can test it (even without re-login) using xdg-open zotero://abcdef.

    (I corrected the file name)

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  2. As of 2019, the preferred way of installing Zotero is by using Emiliano Heyns' packages.

    Run the following instructions on your terminal:

    wget -qO- https://github.com/retorquere/zotero-deb/releases/download/apt-get/install.sh | sudo bash
sudo apt update
sudo apt install zotero

    These packages manage both desktop file and MimeType registration.

    For additional information about the provided packages, see the README file.

    Other answers should be considered obsolete, Sebastiaan Mathot's packages being no longer maintained.

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  3. I have no idea what zotero is, but I have setup some custom handlers working in my desktop.

    Create a file named zotero-link.desktop in ~/.local/share/applications (or in /usr/share/applications/zotero.desktop if you want the url handler for all users in the system), with the following content :

    [Desktop Entry]
Name=My custom zotero handler
Comment=Opens zotero
Exec=zotero %f
Type=Application
Terminal=false
MimeType=x-scheme-handler/zotero
StartupNotify=false
Categories=GNOME;
Icon=xfce4-terminal

    Then edit the file ~/.config/mimeapps.list, section [Default Applications], adding this line : 

    x-scheme-handler/zotero=zotero-link.desktop

    Now you can test it (even without re-login) using xdg-open zotero://abcdef.

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